17 February 2017 10:27 am
Sri Lanka Tourism showed it’s a holiday destination worth visiting by showcasing its local splendour at the New York Times Travel Show, which is the largest consumer and trade travel event in North America.
It gave the US citizens quite a surprise to see the valuable resources which the paradise island had to offer. The New York Times Travel show was held for the 14th consecutive year from January 27 to 29, 2017, at the Jacob K. Javits convention centre in New York City.
Sri Lanka Tourism participated in this mega event in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy in the USA.
The Sri Lankan delegation included Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando, who graced the event giving a boost to promote Sri Lanka as all across the globe as a major tourist destination, along with other officials.
Representatives from the Sri Lanka Embassy in New York included Dr. Rohan Perera and Deputy High Commissioner A.S. Kahn and Dr. Rohan Perera, who is the permanent representative of the UN.
Sri Lanka Tourism was represented by Assistant Director Chameera Peiris with the members of the travel and tourism industry.
The purpose of this participation was to make the US travel agents, travellers and tour operators aware of the destination and also to inspire those who are planning to explore new destinations.
The show was patronized by 28,442 travellers and industry professionals, making 2016 the best attended show in nearly a decade, where Sri Lanka has been a regular member.
The Sri Lankan pavilion was an attractive sight to see with its warm colours, natural bliss, wildlife and its exquisite beaches.
During the event, broachers promoting tour packages were distributed among the visitors, which were compact and attractive, where the participants could flip over the pages being informed about the cultural and natural wonders of Sri Lanka in detail. The finest Ceylon tea as usual was a unique item throughout the whole event.
Deluxe vacations, Eco – Team Sri Lanka, Lanka Holiday Destinations (Pvt.) Ltd, Aitken Spence Travels, Lanka Holidays. Net, Lanka Vacations (Pvt.) Ltd, Ceylon Express I’tnl, Air Wing Tours Ltd, Dammika Travels and Tours and Bernard Tours participated in this event.
In 2016, a total of 54,254 tourist arrivals from the USA were reported, which was a 14.9 percent growth year-on-year.